Signaling devices



March 25, 1958 E. E. ANDERSON SIGNALING DEVICES originai Fiied March i3,i945 United States Patent siGNALiNo DEVICES Eric E. Anderson, Needham,Mass., assigiior to National Pneumatic Co. Inc., a corporation ofDelaware s claims. (ci. 179-1) The present invention relates tosignaling devices `particularly adaptedfor use in hospital signaling andcommunication systems. This application is a division of my copendiiigapplication, Serial No. 84,362, led March 30, 1949; nowPatent 2,624,808,which is a continuation of my application, Serial No. 582,466, filedMarch 13, 1945, and vsince abandoned.

rIhese systems generally employ a push button switch for each patient,the switches 'being connected by a flexible cord to the room outlet topermit placing the push button conveniently close to the patients hand.A system of audible and visual signals is usually provided to direct theattention of the supervising attendant to the existence of a calljand toidentify the 'room from which it came.

Such a systemrequires that the nurse or other attendant go to the roomto ascertain `the reason for the call. In numerous instances lit 'willlbe found that the trip could have been avoided had direct communicationbeen possible between the patient and the attendant at the desk.

lt is, therefore, one ofthe objects .of the present invention to provideasuitabe signal and 'voice communication system for hospital use,wherein electro-acoustical transducing means may bedirectlyincorporatedin the patients push button switch unit to permit twoeway voice commu*nication with substantially-complete privacy and without disturbingotherpatients.

According to one feature `of the invention, there is provided in acompact housing, corresponding in size to conventional push ,buttonunits, not only button-.operated switching means lfor giving the usualvisual and audible signals, but in addition, .an -.electroacousticaltransducer adapted to function both as a telephone transmitter ormicrophone kand Aas a telephone receiver to permit Ytwoway voicecommunication 'with the attendant at the desk, and where desirable,topermitthe'latter to have auditory supervision of the patients'directly roni'the desk.

'In the drawings illustrating 4the'several features of the invention,Fig. Al is a view 'in sectional elevationof the switch and transducerassembly on a somewhat enlarged scale; Fig. 2 is an exploded view of theoperating parts removed from the housing; Figs. 3, 4, 5, andj6 aredetail section views taken along correspondingly numbered section linesin Figs. 1 and 2, Figs. 5 and 6 being taken along the same section lineand partly broken away, showing the parts in switch-off and switch-onpositions, respectively; and Fig. 7 is a view partly broken away, of amodified form of the invention.

The signaling device comprises a housing or casing formed in twosections 12 and 14 having threaded connections for assembly into asmoothly rounded shape which may be conveniently held in one hand. Aliexible multi-conductor connecting cord 16 enters the housing at oneend, while at the other end the housing is provided with a push button18 having a large domed head substantially the diameter of the adjacentend portion of the housing 12. At the base of the bore within which thepush button is slidably mounted, a plurality ot switch j p 2,828,359Patented Mar. 25, 195s r'ice contacts 20 having screw terminals 22 isarranged about a central passage 24 in the housing in spaced, mutuallyinsulated relation.

Arranged within the section 14 of the housing is a transducer in .theform of a combination microphone-re ceiver unit 30 of compact butconventional construction. The unit is mounted within a casing 32 havinga projecting neck or stem 34 adapted to be received within the passageat the base of housing 12. The transducer is clamped in position withinthe housing by means of threaded connections between stem `34 and theinner end of a tube 36. The tube is held against rotation within thehousing through the provision of llats 38 and 40 on tube and housingpassage 24, respectively.

To transmit sound effectively between the transducer diaphragm and theoutside .of the housing, the stem 34 and tube 36 Vare provided with anaxial passage 42 which gradually expands in cross-section from the innerend of the stem 34 adjacent the transducer unit to the outer end of thetube 36 adjacent the head of the push button 18. The push button whichis bored to provide a free-sliding fit over the tube end, has theportion of its end wall which is in alignment with the tube endperforated at 44 to complete the acoustic vpassageway to the outside.'

The switch mechanism, operating in conjunction with the fixed contacts20 `to .transmit visual and audible signals to the attendant, isarranged about the longitudinal tube 36 as .an axis, leaving the axialportion of the housing free to provide -t-he acoustic passage. Theswitch components, in additionto the button 18 and fixed contacts 20already mentioned, comprise .a stator 50 lintegral with or xedly secured.to ,the tube 436, a sleeve 52, .a rotor 54, and coil springs 56 ,andSSYassociated with the button and rotor, respectively.

The stator 50 is provided with segments 62 having shoulders .64Aprojecting outwardly beyond the main body of the segments, While thesleeve52 is formed with an inwardly extending shoulder 66 at one end,with segments 68 extending .inwardly therefrom so as to cooperate withthe segments 62 :of thestator in permitting limited rotation of thesleeve .and also inward axial movement thereof. The button and sleeveare adapted to be assembled into la single operating unitlocked togetherby screw 80, with spring 56 disposed -between the button and stator50 insuchmanner as to urge the button and sleeve assembly outwardly and inacounterclockwise direction relative to .the stator. Grooves 82 and 84 inbutton and stator, respectively, .-servegto .anchor the spring ends.

The switch rotor 54 comprises atlange portion 86 to which resilientcontact `fingers 88 are secured. Since the several contact .fingers neednot be electrically isolated, the contact nger assembly may convenientlybe formed from a single piece of sheet Phosphor bronze or other suitablematerial. Associated with the flange is Aa hub portion having segmentsadapted to cooperate with the segments 68 of the sleeve. Spring 58 isarranged between the rotor and the housing 12 to urge the rotor againstthe sleeve and stator and at the same time to urge the rotor incounterclockwise rotation relative to the stator. Slots or grooves 92and 94 are provided in rotor 54, tube 36, and at the base of the bore inhousing 12 for locking the spring ends.

By reason of the interlocking relationship between the segments on rotorand sleeve, and between the sleeve and the stator, the rotor ispermitted limited rotary move ment. The parts are so arranged that thecontact fingers, when the rotor is at the limit of its clockwisemovement, are out of contact with the fixed contacts 20. When the rotoris at the limit of its counterclockwise rotation, on the other hand, thecontact fingers are in alignment with the iexe'd contacts and, exceptfor the contact fingers asesoria which are in control of the buzzercircuit, in electrical contact to rcomplete the circuits, to the nursessignal lights. A substantial portion of the switching operation is thuseffected by rotation of the rotor to move the contact fingers into andout of registry with the xed contacts 20. p

Actuation of the switch rotor 54 is controlled by the push buttonthrough sleeve 52. Independent axial and rotary movements of the buttonare utilized to provide onactuation and `oli-actuation respectively, ofthe rotor. To latch the rotor in Ypre-set, switch-olf position, againstthe urging of spring 5S, the rotor is provided with short pins Y 100which project from the face of segments 90 of the roto-r hub. These pinsare arranged to register with and to enter holes or sockets 102 in thestator when the rotor is in clockwise, or switch-off position, so as toretainthe rotor in that position until such time as a signal is to begiven. Y

To actuate the switch, only slight pressure is required on the pushbutton, since it is only necessary to move the rotor inwardly far enoughto release theshort pins 100 from their sockets 102, against therelatively slight axial force of spring 5S. Once the pins are freed ofthe sockets,

the rotor snaps to on-position, causing the nurses signal lights to beenergized. Because of the slight pressure and small movement required tocause the rotor to be lifted out of latching engagement with thestattor, the switch will in most instances be actuated by the blow orimpact occasioned by falling from the patients bed to the floor, so asto summon the atendant.

In order that a brief audible signal may likewise be given, as asupplement to the light signals, the switch is so arranged that thecontact finger of the rotor which is in control of the buzzer circuithas a shallower bend than the others, and does not normally make contactwith the adjacent lixed contact, even with the rotor at the limit of itscounter-clockwise rotation, in switch-on position. To actuate thebuzzer, the button is pushed to the limit of its inward position,against the force of spring 58 and also of the spring contact fingersalready in engagement with the fixed contacts, thereby bringing thebuzzer-circuit linger into contact. Thus, the buzzer or other audiblesignal is given only so long as the button is pushed, while the lightsignals remain on after pressure on the button is released.

To reset the switch, onceV the call has beenanswered, it is onlynecessary tojturn the push button clockwise until the pins of the rotorregister with and enter the sockets in the stator, thus latching therotor in off position. Since the resetting and actuating operations areentirely dilerent in character, no chance for confusion exists betweenthe rotary resetting operation and the conventional push-button callingoperation.

As an alternative to the use of the microphone-re ceiver unit` inassociation with the switch mechanism, other signaling means may beprovided such as a signal 4 light mounted in socket 112 in the section14 of the housing, as illustrated in Fig. 7. Such light might becontrolled, for example, from the attendants desk, and lighted inresponse to a call from the patient to indicate to the patient that thecall has been noted, the light being visible from the push button endthrough the axial passage within the housing. In such embodiment atlanged sleeve 116 takes the place of the transducer casing 30 and stem34 to retain the tube 36, upon which the switch mechanism is supportedin place in the housing i2.

claim: i. A hospital signaling device for hand-held operation comprisinga push button, switching means under the control of the push button andarranged around the axis of the push button, an electro-acousticaltransducer within the device, and an acoustic passage coaxial with theaxis of the push button and extending from the transducer through thepush button to the exterior of the device said pushbutton having anaperture therethroughV defining a part of said acoustic'passage.

2. A hospital signaling device for hand-held opera tion, said devicecomprising an elongated casing, a push button, switching means under thecontrol of the push button, an electro-acoustical transducer withinthecasing, and an acoustic passage of gradually increasingcross-sectional area from the interior to the exterior of the deviceextending axially of the casing from the transducer through theswitching means to the exterior of the device said pushbutton having anaperture therethrough defining a part of said acoustic passage.

3. A hospital signaling device for hand-held operation comprising acasing, a push button rotatably and axially movable therein, a memberlixed within the casing coaxial with the axis of the push button, saidmember having an axial passage therethrough, audible signaling meanswithin the casing in communication with the inner end of the passage, apassage through the push button in alignment with the passage in themember, and switching means under the control of the push button andmounted on the xed member intermediate the signaling means and the pushbutton in coaxial relation thereto to provide an unobstructed signalingpassage from the signaling means to the exterior of the device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,066,022 Weidenman Dec. 29, 1936 2,142,993 Brown Jan. l0, 19392,262,170 Douglas Nov. 1l, 1941 2,273,353 Harris Feb. l7, 1942 2,305,681Dunning Dec. 22, 1942 2,452,830 Braun Nov. 2, 1948

